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This past weekend the Florida Rush U18 Nike team was invited to Bradenton, FL to play against the U17 Men’s National Team in a friendly scrimmage. Knowing that the team must come dialed in and prepared to play when opportunities like this are presented, Head Coach Nate Omodt made sure his team showed up ready to win.

Starting the match at a high tempo, Florida Rush quickly put the U17’s under pressure and in the 14th minute of the game, center mid Zack Reynolds followed up on a loose ball inside the 6 yard box and placed a perfect shot into the side of the net. Working off of the momentum of a 1-0 lead, Florida Rush struck again in the 26th minute when Felipe Oliveira ripped a shot from 20 yards out that deflected off the crossbar and landed in the back of the net. Rush lead 2-0 at half. In the 2nd half Florida Rush continued playing strong and the game went back and forth with both teams having chances, but ultimately Rush would win the game 2-0.

“Most of these players have been playing together since they were 13 years old, so the team chemistry is excellent,” says Florida Rush President Richie Gray. “Add to that they’ve been touched by some of our best coaches over the years including Erick Garcia at (U13-14), Marcos Machado at (U15-16) and Nate Omodt at (U17-18) it's been exciting to watch this team grow and have so much success in their senior years. We're very supportive of player movements, rotating coaches and developing talent from within the club, so this group is a great example to show that home grown talent can compete to win on the national stage."

Since winning the 2010 Disney Soccer Showcase, the Florida Rush U18's have also won the 2011 Florida State Cup, 2011 USYS Region III Championship, 2011 Region III Premier League and 2011 Disney Showcase Championship to be back-to-back champions. Currently they are competing in 2012 Florida State Cup and have already qualified for the 2012 USYS Region III Championship with a goal to be the US Youth Soccer National Champions in 2012.